Lost Without You

10.

"I survived on scraps. Canned food, cockroaches, anything I could find," He says, chuckling dryly. "You know that rumor that Twinkies have an endless shelf life? Well, it's total bullshit," He says.

"I can't even imagine," I admit, sipping my cup of shitty coffee.

"You do whatever it takes to survive, or you die. So we adapted. Whatever the world threw at us, we found a way to overcome it," He sighs.

"We?"

"Do you have anything stronger?" I nod, sliding out of bed and walking over to my mini-fridge. I open it up, pulling out two cool glasses and a cold bottle of whiskey. I pour us both a glass of it, before sliding the bottle back into the fridge. I walk back over to my bed, handing him the glass. He slowly sips it, as I take a seat on the bed, sipping mine. "You think I'm crazy..."

"No, I don't. I'm just... trying to wrap my head around it," I admit.

"Exactly what don't you understand?"

"Why didn't you try to time travel back?" He scoffs, sighing.

"Gee, wish I'd thought of that," He says, sarcastically, making me roll my eyes. "Time travel is a crapshoot. I went into the ice, and I never acorn-ed. You think I didn't try everything to get back to my family?" I slowly nod, sighing.

"If you grew old there, you know, in the apocalypse, how come you're the same age as you were when you ran away?"

"I told you already," He sighs, annoyed, walking back over to the fridge and pouring himself some more whiskey. "I must've got the equations wrong."

"I mean... Dad always said that time travel could mess up your mind. Well, maybe that's what's happening?"

"This was a mistake. You're too young...," He starts, walking towards the door, "...too naïve to understand."

"No, Five... Five, wait," I say, rushing towards him and grabbing his hand, making him stop. He sighs, turning around. "I haven't seen you in a long time, and I don't want to lose you again... That's all..."

"I know."

"Please don't go," I beg.

"I won't," He sighs, allowing me to pull him back over to my bed. We sit back down, and I sigh.

"So I die in eight days... again?"

"Yeah, unless I can figure out how to stop the apocalypse," He slowly nods.

"Shit...," I whisper, grabbing my glass off the nightstand and downing the rest of it. "I just got back. I don't wanna go so soon. Not again."

"Trust me, I'm gonna try to stop it, but I don't know if I can," He sighs.

"Well, that sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah... it does. I wish... I had more time to figure it out, but I don't," He says, downing the rest of his drink.

"Can we please just go to bed?

"Yeah... Yeah, we can."

*           *           *

I slowly glance at Five to see him looking around at everyone.

He looks kind of... angry.

I mean, I do know he's been studying really hard to prove to Reginald that he's ready to time travel, but... Reginald doesn't think it is.

Suddenly, he clangs his knife against the table, making everyone look up in shock, including me.

"Number Five," Reginald says.

"I have a question," Five states, making everyone's eyes widen. Reginald doesn't allow anyone to talk while at the dinner table.

"Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during mealtimes. You are interrupting Herr Carlson," Reginald reminds him. He throws down his utensils, speaking again.

"I want to time travel," He says.

"No."

"But I'm ready. I've been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said," Five argues, scooting his chair back and standing up. He disappears, reappearing next to Reginald. "See?"

"A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn," Reginald says, sipping his drink.

"Well, I don't get it."

"Hence the reason you're not ready," Reginald points out. Five glances at me, and I shake my head, silently.

"I'm not afraid," Five states.

"Fear isn't the issue. The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable. Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore." He suddenly walks out of the room angrily, making me speak.

"Five," I say.

"Let him go. He's just angry. He'll be back soon enough," Reginald assures me. I hear the door open and close, making me bite my lip nervously.

Maybe I should go after him... I mean, he's angry, and who knows what he'll do.